404 



THE BOOK OF CHOICE FERNS. 



A. coriaceum — cor-i-a'-ce-um (leathery), Wallich. 



A stove species, native of the Himalayas, and the Philippine and the 

 Malayan Islands. Its fronds, Gin. to Sin. long and Jin. to fin. broad, are 

 of very thick texture and show no distinct midrib : they are gradually 

 narrowed from the centre to the base, and are very pointed at their extremity. 

 The long and narrow areola?, are distinctly raised on the upper surface 

 of the fronds, and the sori (spore masses), which are quite immersed 

 (embedded) in it, are sometimes confluent or gradually united. — Hooker, 

 Species Filieum, v., p. 163. Nicholson, Dictionary of Gardening, L, p. 89. 



A. C. nanum — na'-num (dwarf), Fee. 



In this variety the fronds are quite as leathery in texture as in the 

 type, but much smaller and spathulate (spoon-shaped). — Hooker, Synopsis 

 Filieum, p. 393. 



A. Cumingii — Cum-ing'-i-i (Cuming's), Fee. 



The fronds of this stove species (also known as A. callcefolium), native 

 of the Philippine Islands, are about Ijft. long, a little more than lin. broad, 

 and of a somewhat soft texture : they are ligulate (strap-shaped), though 

 narrowed very gradually to the base, and show a distinct, black midrib in the 

 lower quarter of their length. The central areola? are of a singular shape, 

 being several inches long and not more than one line broad, and the very 

 slender and deeply-sunk sori (spore masses) are often united, while the edge 

 of the furrow is rather raised. — Hooker, Species Filieum, v., p. 167. 



A. ensiforme — -en-sif-or'-me (sword-shaped), Hooker. 



A stove species, native of Mexico and Guatemala, whose fronds, 6in. to 

 12in. long and Jin. to lin. broad, are strap-shaped, but sharply pointed 

 at their extremity, and very gradually narrowed from half-way down to 

 their base ; the midrib, which is broad at the base, becomes gradually 

 invisible upwards, and the veins, sunk in the texture of the fronds, form three 

 or four rows of irregular areola? (distinctly -marked spaces on their surface) 

 situated between the midrib and the edge. The sori (spore masses) are 

 linear-vermiform (worm-shaped), raised above the surface of the fronds, and 

 often forked. — Hooker, Species Filieum, v., p. 174. 



